James b



A TTORIVEY (No Model.)

J. B. PORTBR.

TRUNK FIXTURE.

W/T/VESSE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. PORTER, OF YARMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA.

TRUNK-FIXTU RE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,111, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed March 12, 1889.

lb all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. PORTER, of Yarmouth, in the Province of Nova Scota, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and Improved Trunk-Fixture, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in trunk-fixtures, and especially to the novel construction of a cover-stay.

The object of the invention is to provide a stay capable of convenient attachment to any trunk, Whereby the lid or cover of the trunk, when carried upward to an open position at a right angle to the body of the trunk, willbe -automatically locked to place.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the mechanism by which this result is accomplished that by a gentle downward pressure upon the cover when in the open position the said cover may be readily closed.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the acconpanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figue 1 is a perspective View of a trunk having the stay appled, illustrating the lid in a partially open position. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section illustrating the lid in a complete open position. Fig. 3 is a horizon tal section online a; x of Fig. 2. v

In carrying out the invention a recess, 10, is produced in the trunk-body 11, upon one 'inner end face, preferably near the top, and

between the center of the said end and the back, as shown in Figs. l and 3. In the forward end of the recess 10, which is ordinarily rectangular in general contour, one extremity of a spring-plate, 12,is secured, the other end of the plate, which is left free, being capable of springing laterally outward from the rccess, as best shown in Fig. 1. Upon the rigid Or fixed end of the springlato, at or near the bottom, one eXtremity of a strap or keeper, 13, is fastened, which keeper at a short distance from this point of attachment is carried outward at a right angle from the springplate, as illustrated at ll in Figs. 1 and 3,

serial No. %2,964. (No model.)

and diagonally upward to a rigid attachment to the inner face of the end piece of the trunk-body, a slight distance to the rear of the recess 10. By reason of this fornation of the keeper, it will be observed that the space between the latter and the spring-plate is gradually lessened from front to rear to such an extent that the free end of the springplate is capable of normal contact with the keeper.

A segmeutal sti-ap or stay, 15, is secured to the inner end face of the cover 16 of the trunk, which stay passes down between the keeper and the spring-plate, and is provided at its lower extremity with a diagonal lip, 17, adapted to engage with the bottom edge of the keeper when the trunk-lid is fully opened, as shown in Fig. 2.

I desire it to be understood that a stay may be provided for each end of the cover, if desired; but ordinarily a single stay is sufiicient.

In operation, when the lid is. closed, the lipped end of the segmental stay is carried downward, essentially, to a contact with the bottom of the trunk. When the lid is almost fully opened, the lip of the stay contacts with the under edge of the keeper forward of the center, as shown in Fig. 1, and as the lid is brought to a full open position the lip slides up the incline of the keeper until the lower end of the stay is j ammed between the said keeper and free end of the spring-plate. Thus in this position the stay is rigidly supported by frictional contact and sustains the lid at a right angle to the body of the trunk, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described ny invention, what 1' claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In trunk-fixtures, a lid or cover stay consisting of a springplate, a keeper secured to one end ot' said plate, capable of extending outwardly therefrom and contacting with the opposite end, and a segmental bar adapted to be secured to the lid and sliding vertically and laterally between the keeper and the spring-plate and provided with a lip at the lower extremity, substantially as shown and described.

2. In trunk-fixtures, a lid or cover stay consisting of a spring-plate, a keeper diagonally secured to onc end of the plate, capable of ex IOG the plate extending outwardly therefron and transversely across the plate to a contact With the free end, and a segmental bar attaehed at I 5 one end to the lid and capable ofepassing dowward between the keeper and springplate and provided at the lower extremity With a diagonal lip, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES B. PORTER. witnesses: v

ROBERT S. EAKINS, W. O. GRAY. 

